Sweet Ruptured Life
by 2Deez
Summary: Everyone wants to be happy, no one wants pain. But you can't have the rainbow without any rain.Jeff HardyOC high school fic. Read and review!
1. Angered Loneliness

_A/N: Alright, y'all - this is my first trip into the realm of the Superstar/OC universe. I'm really nervous about this, so if you have any constructive criticism (too cliche, too unrealistic, too anything) let me know. Let me take the time and say constructive criticism…I'm not one to keep my mouth shut when I'm angry so be warned. Other than that, I'm a VERY nice person. Anyway If I'm crossing the line and doing the same old thing that everyone else has already done, tell me and I'll scrap the whole idea and start something new. You will not see the same old story… there will be no Superstar/OC pregnancies so if that's what you want sorry. That being said - I don't own any of the names you recognize in this story. _

Sweet Ruptured Life

Chapter 1

It was the first day back from winter vacation. The weather was cold- the high being about thirty five, the weatherwoman predicted, and there might be a slight chance of snow. Jeff hoped it would snow all day and night, having school called off for the next day. The prospect was unlikely, but even after a two week break; the idea of another day off was welcomed.

He entered the front hall, still sipping the rest of his coffee and looking around at the other kids. Many were noticeably tired, but still pretty loud, comparing shoes that had be Christmas presents, and talking about the basketball games and the big party the week before. Jeff had known most of these kids since junior high and he felt comfortable in the crowd.

She was strong. She was angry. And she wasn't afraid to fight. Dahlia strode down the Raleigh streets, collar of her jacket turned up and iPod blaring in her ears. Anger was the only thing that kept her warm. Anger at her parents for bringing her to this cold city. Anger at the city for being gray and uncaring. But mostly, she was angry at herself for being cold and scared in this place. If someone, anyone had spoken to her at that point, she probably would have ripped their head off. Literally.

But the North Carolina streets were empty as she strode down the sidewalk. She figured everyone with sense had taken a car or a bus. But the bus that she was supposed to take never arrived. So after almost forty minutes of waiting, she decided to walk. From what she heard from her parents, the school wasn't that far away. So by using her anger as her own jacket; she began walking to find a school that she had never seen, in a city that she had never visited, to enroll for classes in the eleventh grade.

Dahlia had just moved from Green Point, New York. She decided right then that she officially hated Raleigh, North Carolina with a passion. The sky was a dreary gray and dirty snow covered the probably dirty sidewalk. _Ok, New York wasn't the most glorious, but come on! I just wanna throw some paint out my window and color this place up! How do these people expect me to live here? I can already tell, I don't fit in here. New York had been so different, practically a 180 from what's here! _

Looking up and down the streets and imagining the differences of this place and New York only made her anger return. There were no brightly colored stores, there were no Hispanic flavor here. Practically everyone in Green Point spoke both Spanish and English fluently. She had felt so at home there. The music from the radio, the passing conversations, even the food had there own Spanish feel to it. _Might as well have "No Habla Espanol!" written here on every nasty brown building here!_

Dahlia could see the school about a block ahead. It was just as expected-tall, brown and ugly. Schools in New York weren't exactly sprawled around, but they all looked different. They had brick, stone and different walkways for each. Lunch was always outside and there was just a sense of freedom in the air. _How will I ever find my way in this giant jail?_ She wondered bitterly, wiggling her toes inside her boots to try and get some feeling back and made her way inside.

The school was dark and depressing. The halls were dark and depressing. It even smelled dark and depressing. Kids were in small groups, talking way too loudly. Girls were giggling about shoes and other odd things, guys were either staring at her passing or laughing way too loudly at some dumb, immature joke. No one spoke or noticed Dahlia as she made her way through the crowd. She entered the office, looking around for someone who could help.

"Could I help you dear?" a woman asked, leaning against a nearby desk. Dahlia bristled inwardly. She hated the term dear.

"Umm, yeah. I'm new here and I came to enroll. Here are my transcripts from New York." She replied, handing her papers to the woman.

The woman, cracking her gum really loudly, drew up a schedule for her and passed it to her, "Dear, this year we're trying something new. It says here that you took dance classes in school for a pretty long time so I'm putting you in Modern and Hip Hop. It's a new thing to try and get kids to get out of their little cliques and talk to one another. Your locker is number 425.Oh and I'm Ms. Callaway by the way" Dahlia thanked her and grabbed her schedule, turning on her heel to leave, but she was stopped by the woman again.

"I know you're probably not happy with moving here, but give us a chance. We don't bite. Or at least, most of us don't" added the woman with a wry smile.

The Latina reluctantly returned the smile and walked out of the office. She sighed and headed for the fourth floor to her locker before she went to her first class. The halls were mostly empty by now, only crumpled papers and food wrappers littering the floor. Walking down the hall, she listened to Ms. Callaway's overly cheery voice fill the halls with reminders of SAT preparation, late passes and the football team tryouts. None of these things held any weight to her as she continued toward her locker.

Walking along the fourth floor, she checked all the lockers but couldn't find number 425. She saw 419, 420 then the numbers jumped to 453. _Why do schools do this to kids?_ She thought in frustration. She finally regained ground as she spotted 421- almost down the hall. She began walking, counting the numbers absently as she moved past them _421… 422… 423… 424…_ Dahlia hit something fairly solid, stumbling against the wall of lockers, almost losing her balance.

"Sorry 'bout that. Was really looking where I was going.", she half mumbled as she began moving toward her locker again.

"Don't worry 'bout it" assured the voice as they extended their hand, "The name's Jeff, Jeff Hardy."

"Dahlia Cortez" the Latina replied. Jeff nodded his head and turned back to the locker. She looked up slightly, looking at the number. 425.

Jeff busied himself with the locker, looking at Dahlia out the corner of his eye. He hadn't seen her before so he assumed that she was new. And wasn't she cute. He shook his head slightly. Cute was an understatement. She was beautiful. Jeff slightly shook his head and returned to opening his locker. She probably had a boyfriend. But before he could really open the locker, he was stopped dead in his tracks by a warm hand on his shoulder and a soft voice.

"You're kinda at my locker."

He turned to the new girl again- Dahlia, sweeping a few locks of hair from his eyes, "Excuse me?"

"I said, you're at my locker" she said again, her voice a little louder this time; a hint of Spanish in her speech, "It says so on this paper" she finished, thrusting the paper at him.

Jeff's eyes swept over the paper. She wasn't lying. But his paper said 425 as well. He chuckled, drawing a small scowl from her.

"They didn't tell you?" he chuckled.

"Tell me what?" she replied, her frown deepening. She hated when everyone knew something that she was supposed to know. It made her feel dumb.

"This year, everyone is sharing a locker with someone. I guess Callaway forgot to tell you." His chuckle slowly faded as he watched her glance over her shoulder a few times, "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for hidden cameras, because you can't be serious. Is that allowed? Co-ed locker sharing?"

"I didn't really think it mattered, but if you want, you can go all the way back downstairs to Callaway and she can give you a new number." Jeff said, smirking a little. Dahlia leaned against the lockers and stared at him from in silence for a few seconds. He didn't look like the type to go through her things, it was just something about him that said the opposite, he'd respect her privacy. Nodding her head, she pushed off and gave him a small smile.

"I guess you're okay. Just open the locker, will you?" Dahlia admitted, watching him nod and open the locker. Hanging his locker neatly on the hook, he turned to her again.

"Just dump your stuff here, I'm going to class… I guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, I guess" she replied quietly, "See ya around"

Jeff smiled at her and began walking to class. He could feel her eyes on him as he walked away, but he knew that her eyes weren't hate filled. He strolled to his class and casually knocked on the door. He was late and he knew it, so the door was locked. Leaning on the doorframe, he glanced in Dahlia's direction in time to see her remove her coat and smooth down the front of her shirt. Letting her hair loose, she slightly shook it out of the ponytail it was in, running her fingers through the almost waist long length. He was so in awe, he didn't notice the classroom door open or the teacher calling his name. He shook himself out of his reverie and walked into the class, shutting the door softly behind him.

The math teacher, a short skinny man with a really cheap hairpiece that shifted on his head when he moved, looked at Dahlia and smiled, "Welcome Dahlia. You can take that seat right next to Mickie there. Now tell me Dahlia, are you a good math student or will you fit in with my students over there who think math was invented by big, stinky, purple monsters?" he asked, pointing with his hand at various students.

Dahlia grinned. "You mean it wasn't?" she asked in mock surprise.

The teacher, Mr. Heyman, rolled his eyes good naturedly and smiled again, "Yup you're going to fit in just fine. Here's a textbook. We're on page 142."

Most of the students ignored Dahlia. A few guys looked over at her with interest, but nobody moved past a smile. Everyone seemed to pay more attention to the now falling snow than trinomials. The large snow flakes, covered the ground, shielding the dirt and grayness from view. Dahlia watched with the rest of them, wishing that the snow could also cover up her loneliness as well.

Chapter 2

Forget milk, Dance does the body good!

The bell rang for the end of sixth period. The halls, which were empty a few seconds before, became filled with students rushing to make it to their next class. Most could make it in three, but the other two were used to go to your locker, to use the restroom or as everyone else used it; to gossip about the events that had just taken place. Dahlia walked through the crowd, hearing bits and pieces of the conversations. She knew they were about her. She smiled to herself as she neared her locker remembering everything that had happened…

_Dahlia moved of the lunch line, nearly losing her breakfast over the sight of the lunch that was being served. _Note to self: pack own lunch_ thought the Latina as she inched her way off the line, grabbing a bottle of water_


	2. Does North Carolina have plastics?

_A/N Alright people…Here's the second installment of SRL. Hope you enjoy… and mucho besitos to LilMissCena for reviewing… The more reviews I get, the faster the chapters will be up. So to the 25 other people that checked this one out let your self be known! Thank you! Enjoy!_

_Oh and I do know that the chapter is a little short, but I was just flowing with the ideas. Oh and the italics are flashbacks… on with the story!_

Chapter 2

Does North Carolina have plastics?

The bell rang for the end of sixth period. The halls, which were empty a few seconds before, became filled with students rushing to make it to their next class. Most could make it in three, but the other two were used to go to your locker, to use the restroom or as everyone else used it; to gossip about the events that had just taken place. Dahlia walked through the crowd, hearing bits and pieces of the conversations. She knew they were about her, but they weren't mean words, they were in awe. She smiled to herself as she neared her locker remembering everything that had happened…

_Dahlia moved of the lunch line, nearly losing her breakfast over the sight of the lunch that was being served. _Note to self: pack own lunch_ thought the Latina as she inched her way off the line, grabbing a bottle of water_ _and a bag of Skittles and heading towards the cashier._

_Waiting on the line, she looked around, trying to find a place to sit. Brown eyes fell on her locker companion- Jeff- and she half smiled. She watched him talking to his friends; laughing every so often, green eyes gleaming. Her eyes moved down the table, finding Mickie and another girl she found oddly familiar. Shaking the thoughts out of her head, she paid for her items and began to move off the line when two girls stopped her._

"_Is it true?" one said. "Everyone's talking about how there's a new girl- from New York, walking around. So it's you, isn't it?"_

"_Yeah, that's me" Dahlia said, looking the speaker up and down, "An' you are?"_

"_Oh, I'm Ashley, and this is Maria." Ashley said; flicking her blonde hair out of her face, Dahlia noticing the blue streaks on the bottom._

"_Dahlia" replied the Latina shortly. She really had no wish to stay around them longer than she had to. Just by looking at them, she could tell that they were little rich girls who basically ruled the school, or at least tried to She gave them a polite smile and turned away, noticing Mickie waving her over to her table. She was a few steps away when she heard Ashley calling out to her again._

"_You'll realize that you'll have to weed through the trash in this school," Ashley said with a smile, glancing pointedly at Mickie's table, "Let me be the first to tell you."_

_Dahlia turned back and gave Ashley a half smile, "I think I'll be good by myself, thanks for the offer though" she said coolly._

_Ashley's face didn't exactly turn red, but there was a light pink tinge in her cheeks._

"_I'd be more careful if I were you, Dahlia," she said slowly, "You're in a new school in a state you've never been in, I don't think you'd want to mess with anybody… especially me." _

"_You don't want me to mess with you? That's rich. Maybe you should really try to be a better person, no body likes a bitch" snapped Dahlia as she turned away, opening her water bottle and taking a sip from it._

"_You arrogant bitch!" growled Ashley as she grabbed the Latina's arm to swing her around. The water bottle slipped out of Dahlia's hand and splashed all over Ashley, soaking the blonde's hair and shirt._

"_Oh… damn. I thought witches were supposed to melt," Dahlia laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder, "You should really get some towels, before the Crayola people can't fix your face anymore." And with that, Dahlia sat at Mickie and Jeff's table and turned to them._

"_I can't believe you did that! I know everyone was thinking it but you actually did it! That was awesome!" Mickie said in hushed tones._

"_I agree with Micks on the awesome part." Jeff agreed, reaching over and giving Dahlia a one-armed hug, stealing her Skittles bag in the process. Dahlia laughed and lightly smacked his arm, drawing a chuckle from him…_

Dahlia smiled, reaching into her bag and glancing at the schedule. Dance class. The Latina smiled, grabbing a hair tie and hurrying off to class before the bell rang.


	3. Forget Milk, Dance does the body good!

A/N: Ok people, here's the deal. Here's the third installment of Sweet Ruptured Life! It took me a little while to complete it (damn finals!) but it's done and I'm working on Chapter 4. However, I am missing a definite aspect of the story, i.e. reviews. I'm really sick and so I'm doing this from bed, amidst tissues and Advil. **Please** be nice and review, even if it's to say it sucked. This is the utter desperate side of me coming out (I blame the medicine) and I'd really appreciate it. I saw that I had **98 hits** last night. I'm not asking for 98 reviews (although it would be nice) but **5-9** would be pretty sweet. Anyway, read, review and enjoy!

1 day, 2 hours, 17 minutes til' Wrestlemania! Woo Hoo!

Chapter 3

Forget milk, dance does the body good!

Music blared through Dahlia's ears as she stood in front of the mirrors in the dance studio, tapping her leg in time to the beat. As much as she hated feeling left out she couldn't help but look in awe of the dancers, she wanted to be out there.

"Wish you could join in, huh", said a soft voice from her right; it was Driany Santiago, the familiar girl from Mickie and Jeff's table. They had gone to junior high together until Driany's parent divorced, her and her mother moving to North Carolina. They had promised to keep in touch, the whole BFF speech was said, but it's hard to keep in touch with someone who lived over 14 hours away. They had spent the better part of the lunch period catching up. At this point, it felt like they were back to how it was before, finishing each others sentences and laughing at the same stupid jokes they shared years ago.

"Yeah, I do" breathed Dahlia as she continued to watch the dancers move, trying to memorize the quick paced steps. The steps that they managed to make elegant, even if it was hip hop. She watched the dancers some more, only faintly hearing the teacher leave the room to call the boys in.

Jeff and Shannon had just changed in the locker room for class. Jeff liked dance. He had a strong upper body and he was a fast learner. The girls in the class noticed his muscular arms and the guys were learning that he could actually dance, even though he was white. But now he was just sitting quietly, just staring, at a locker in fact.

"Who is she?" drawled a voice from behind him, Jeff not needing to turn to know who it was. It was Shannon Moore; most likely with a knowing smile.

"What are you talking about?" Jeff lied, scuffing his foot along the floor.

Shannon couldn't help but roll his eyes at his friend. They had known each other for years, yet Jeff could never figure out that they couldn't lie to each other. Well, they could, but that didn't mean that they'd get away with it. Usually when Jeff just stared off into space, he was usually thinking about a girl, a girl that he liked a lot. "What, you developin' feelings for Mickie or something?" he asked with a sly grin.

"No, it's the new girl- Dahlia" Jeff replied, nodding to the teacher who was beckoning them into the studio.

"Never met her… what does she look like?" Shannon shot back, pushing past Jeff and moving towards the kids dancing to join in. Jeff noticed Dahlia studying the dancers, learning the steps. He had to smile at her; she didn't even screw up her face, she was serene, statuesque even. But her eyes. Her eyes were dancing, flickering between the dancers like a candle flame. He nudged Shannon and nodded with his head, "That's her". Shannon looked past his friend and his eyes slightly widened.

"Damn, she's fine."

Jeff smiled widely at Shannon, "Yea…"

"You talk to her yet?"

"We're locker buddies."

"Lucky man."

Shannon watched as Jeff nodded his agreement before moving away and lightly tapping the girl's shoulder. After some minor coaxing, they began to make their way over to him. Dahlia pulled away from Jeff's light grip on her hips and stooped down to Ashley's level, who was busy stretching along with about 7 other students. She kept it simple, talking soft enough that the teacher couldn't hear her, but loud enough for Ashley and the rest of the kids to hear, including Jeff.

"Great splits. You must have a lot of practice spreading your legs."

Jeff watched with light amusement as Ashley's face contorted, but she didn't reply. From past experience, he knew that she hated being one-upped by anyone, especially girls. She had a violent mean streak if time allowed. But from what he could tell form Dahlia, the New York native wouldn't fall for anything the blonde would try to pull.

Dahlia stood up then, winking mockingly at Ashley before lightly grabbing Jeff's hand. "You wanted me to meet someone?"

Jeff felt a definite spark as soon as the tips of their fingers met. Relishing in that moment, he soon caught himself and finally answered her, His reply coming out breathier than he had wanted, "Yeah, he's over there."

Shannon watched the two coming near him; walking towards them and extending his hand, taking notice of the two still holding hands. "Hey, I'm Shannon… Shannon Moore."

"Dahlia… Dahlia Cortez."

"Spanish?"

"Yep… Italian?"

"Yeah."

"Cool"

Jeff's head snapped back and forth between the two like he was watching a tennis game, amused at the two's way of introducing themselves. She wasn't fazed at all by Shannon's greeting; usually it made him seem cold, almost distant. He was lost in his thoughts, not noticing Dahlia trying to hold in her laughter and Shannon snickering.

"He usually doesn't drool like that… I thought I trained him better." Shannon laughed, dodging a punch in the arm by Jeff.

"Shut up man"

Dahlia giggled at the exchange (Jeff noting how cute she sounded) and grabbed her hair tie from her wrist. Walking over to the teacher, she could feel Jeff's eyes on her as she quietly asked if she could join in with the other dancers. The teacher agreed, sending her to a spot almost center. Pushing a button on the stereo, the whole class erupted into cheer at the song.

_You think you know me but you have no idea  
Act like you bout it  
Well let me put this in your ear  
If you really bout it  
Do like a fuss like you don't care  
If you bout it  
I don't doubt it  
Show me that you sure bout it (bout it)_

"5, 6, 7, 8!" called the teacher as the dancers began to move as one, pumped by the music. It took Dahlia a second to adjust to the pace of the music, but when she did, it was almost magical.

_I've seen it before in a rhyme and a roll  
Come and catch up with me baby don't stop  
Get to the floor what you waiting for  
Cause we can ride the beat straight to the top  
_

_  
Waited too long and now its the time to show 'em all that is not a game  
Cause I don't care what I'm looking like  
I just gotta show you that I'm not goin' no where_

Dahlia's body moved on its own accord, twisting and turning to the beat. It looked like she had studied the dance for ages, but in truth, she had looked at the dancers once, if that. The boys standing on the side, Jeff and even Shannon included, couldn't help but look at the Latina move. It was all the right steps, with some sex appeal for good measure. Jeff was so caught up in her that he didn't noticed the teacher calling him in or the rest of the dancers leaving the floor, bar Dahlia.

She wanted them to improve a duet.

Looking at each other for a few seconds, they started to move together. He was more of a hip hop type of guy, while she was more modern and jazz girl, but they complimented each other so well. Soon it turned almost into a competition. If she saw him to a flip, she'd do a leap into a split or if he saw her get to into the music and begin to out-do him, he would pick her up and twirl her around, playfully breaking her concentration.

_Now I been walking up this road tryin' to find which way to go  
Tryin' to pull my faith  
Sometimes it seems like I don't know  
Now I gotta chance to touch what seems beyond my reach  
And the answers right in front of me  
Yeah! Yeah! Yeah_

It looked like they were together for years, she trusted him that much. Even when he picked her up and turned with her, she didn't flinch or shake at all in his arms. As the song ended, she dropped down in his arms, slowing down her movements. His arms still wrapped around her waist and hers around his neck, their faces were mere inches away from each other. Brown eyes met green as the two stared at each other, both afraid to breathe too hard, if at all.

As the last note rang through the air, the entire class broke out in applause, the teacher included, the reverie broken. The couple averted their eyes, Jeff blushing and Dahlia looking quite flushed.

"Class dismissed!"


	4. Captured Kisses

_A/N: Alrighty ya'll, I'm sorry about not updating before. I had killer regents at school and I had to study (I'm a good girl…kind of __J__) Now, I don't own Jeff Hardy, Nelly Furtado, Timberland, Justin Timberlake or the songs "Give it to Me" or "Summer Love". If I owned Jeff and my last name was McMahon, WWE would be a whole lot different. Enjoy!  
_

_Oh and by the way, I've hit a wall in this story. This story isn't going to be that much longer as there is going to be quite a long epilogue after (or a one-shot sequel). However, I need help with this, so if you guys have any ideas, a quote or song that I could base the next chapter, that would be great. Send me a comment… oh and no pregnancies or "I love you's" please. Be creative with this!  
_

_Anyhoo…enjoy! Mwahz!_

* * *

Chapter 4

Dahlia floated around the public pool on her back, hair fanned out around her and the huge underwater floodlight making her bikini top shine in the water. It wasn't really late at this time, it was only around 7. It was already the end of February break and the Florida weather was definitely welcomed. It was a pleasant change from the icy conditions in North Carolina.

"There's a club open, if you want to go. I heard that there are a lot of guys there. Lots of hot guys." called Driany from the other side of the pool. This was the first time in years that they had gone to Florida together. It had been a regular thing for the two families to do every February break before Driany moved away.

Dahlia tried to hide her grin; it was just like old times when the two Latinas would stay at a random friend's house in order to go to a teen bash. Losing the battle of wills, she smiled and swam over to the opposite length of the pool, "What are we waiting here for? Let's go!"

* * *

_I'm the type of girl that'll look you dead in the eye (eye)  
I'm real as they come if you don't know why I'm fly-y-y-y-y  
seen ya' try to switch it up but girl you ain't got to  
I'm the Wonder woman let me go get my ropes  
I'm a supermodel and mami, si mami  
Amnesty international got bankrupt (I'm on top, on lock)  
you love my as and my abs and the video called promiscuous  
my style is meticulous_

Jeff walked through the crowded Florida club, walking towards the bar and searching for his brother. Paying for a bottle of water, he leaned back against the counter, giving up his search for a while. His mind wandered off for a minute, landing on the topic of his friends at school. They would be surprised to know that his hair was longer, and that it was actually fully blonde. His family said that not having a random color in his hair made him look like a different person. He was pretty sure they were right, but he would ask Dahlia for her opinion when he got back to school.

Dahlia.

Ever since he met her, he couldn't get his mind off her. Her eyes, her mouth, her hair, her smile, her laugh…her everything. He could help but think of how she made every emotion look beautiful, how everything little thing she did made him like her that much more. She was the first one that he admitted his desire to wrestle to. He had even invited her to watch some of his matches in random independent companies in North Carolina.

Emerald eyes scanned the club, resuming the search for his brother, but a new person caught his eye. She was decked out in a white cropped tank top and black and silver cargo pants tied up at the knee, white heels completed the look. What that her?

"Dahlia?"

___If you see us in the club we'll be acting real nice  
If you see us on the floor you'll be watchin' all night  
We ain't here to hurt nobody  
so give it to me, give it to me, give it to me  
wanna see you work your body  
so give it to me, give it to me, give it to m  
_

Dahlia's eyes roamed around her in a circle. She had been looking for her friend for the past half hour; it was past time for them to leave. She had lost all sight of Driany completely, but as she began to move in her last known direction "Summer Love" by Justin Timberlake flooded the speakers.

___Ridin' in the drop top with the top down  
Saw you switchin' lanes girl  
Pull up to the red light, lookin' right  
Come here, let me get your name girl  
Tell me where you from, what you do, what you like _

___  
Let me pick your brain girl  
And tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little frame girl  
But let me show you 'round, let me take you out  
Bet you we could we could have some fun girl  
'Cause we can do it fast (fast), slow, whichever way you wanna run girl  
_

Warm hands settled on her hips unexpectedly, drawing a sharp intake of breath from her. She started to turn around, but the grip on her hips tightened slightly, stopping her from turning. The two began to move together, Dahlia not caring who it was behind her anymore and Jeff loving the feel of her too much to let her know that it was him. Dahlia leaned back into her partner, relishing in his hold around her. She had no desire to find out who it was, but she even couldn't deny that it felt right.

Driany's eyes landed on her friend from a distance. Damn, any closer and she'd be in that guy's pants…wait…is that? "Jeff?" She moved through the crowd, not caring about the looks that she was getting from the people around her.

Jeff let his eyes drift closed for a second. He couldn't believe that he had Dahlia in his arms, even though he was pretty sure that she had no idea it was him. He felt her settle in his arms, and he couldn't help himself, her tilted her head back and kissed her softly.

Dahlia felt her partners' lips capture hers, and she couldn't help it, she pretty much melted. Eyes closed and she turned fully in his embrace, feeling his hands run over the exposed skin of her back, before settling in her back pockets. Her hands went up around his neck, fingers playing in his hair and they both sighed. When they finally broke apart, her eyes fluttered open landing on his. Jeff watched her eyes narrow slightly in thought before a girl grabbed her arm and began pulling her to the door, yelling that they were late. Her fingers drifted to her lips, still feeling his kiss before she turned and exited.

* * *

Dahlia sat out on the balcony of the hotel room she shared with Driany, just staring at the tide coming in, covering the sand. Even after almost getting yelled at by her parents and her friend's mother, she still couldn't get her mind off that kiss. This was new to her; she always knew who she kissed. But she couldn't help but think that she knew that guy from somewhere.

That kiss.

If it were possible to have a crush from a kiss, it would have happened now. He had kissed her so softly; there was a sort of passion behind it that she rarely felt with anyone else. He had held her so gently, as if he was afraid to hurt her or make her feel uncomfortable in anyway.

But what she didn't realize was that when Jeff had kissed her, he left his heart captive in her hands.


	5. Help From a Friend

A/N: Okie dokie guys, fifth chapter of SRL. I had a wserio9us case of writers block for this one, but I have been working on 2 other stories; one called Love is Past Due and another called Take Me or Leave M (co-authored with my lovely partner-in-crime xFireSpritex…)

Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter… only around 2 chapters left for this one! Enjoy!

P.S: Am I some of the few utterly worried for Jeff's well-being for his Great American Bash match tomorrow? gulp

* * *

"You know D, you two are meant to be together." Mickie stated, sitting on the grass in front of Dahlia. The two were supposed to be stretching for gym class- as Dahlia's dance teacher wasn't there so everyone got split up into separate rooms, but the June heat was already unbearable which made it hard to focus. The two friends had-yet again- just finished talking about the kiss incident in Florida many months ago and the Latina's ongoing suspicions of it being Jeff. 

"That's a scary thought." Dahlia replied, stretching her arms above her head.

"Well, I feel that I should tell you that in the interest of full friendship disclosure. I mean, you and Jeff do talk on the phone for hours."

"I think the last meaningful conversation we had was who would win a fight, Chewbacca or the six million dollar man." pondered Dahlia thoughtfully as Mickie burst into hysterical laughter.

The gym teacher came over and interrupted their fun, "Are you ladies going to go play or should I just fail you now?" looking pointedly at Dahlia who smirked.

"I'm from New York, what do I know about lacrosse?" Dahlia whined.

Mickie nudged her with her elbow," I'll teach you," Pulling themselves up with the use of their lacrosse sticks; they began to walk onto the field. "Ok, the whole point of this game is to get the ball into the opposite net. It's basically soccer but with sticks."

"Ok, so what do I do?"

"Well, since you're new to this, we'll make you the defense woman. All you have to do is make sure that you block the other team from getting the ball. And besides, we all know you're a violent little thing." explained Mickie, nodding to the field.

"Ok, and who's the defense person on the other team?" Dahlia questioned, shielding her eyes with her hand and glancing around the field.

Mickie smirked, "Ashley."

Dahlia turned to Mickie, a matching smirk on her face, "Excellent. And what are you going to be?"

"Attack women… I just make the goals. But before anything, I make no apologies for my lack of coordination. It's genetic."

"I'm sure you can't be that bad."

"I almost drowned in the plastic balls at Chuck E. Cheese."

"So?"

"Dahlia, I was 15!"

"Oh, that's…pretty bad."

And with that the game started, both Dahlia and Ashley facing off at each other. The ball flew through the air, Ashley ducking and tripping Dahlia with the crosse before taking off down the field. Dahlia groaned and took off after the blonde.

Jeff sat near the window of the Physics class, barely paying attention to the movie playing about wavelengths. He wasn't in this class to begin with and this was the last period, so he had no reason to pay attention. Glancing out the 2nd floor window, he had the perfect overview of the schoolyard and the current gym class. Smiling to himself, he noticed that they were playing lacrosse and that Dahlia would be playing. This should be interesting. He watched the small Latina with interest as she raced across the field, dodging the other players on the grass.

Dahlia ran as fast as she could, eyes fixated on Ashley, who was currently in position of the ball. She slammed her shoulder into Ashley's side as hard as she could, watching the young blonde stumble and drop the crosse, letting the ball roll across the grass. Swooping in and scooping it up in the net, Dahlia threw the ball to Driany, who in turn threw the ball into the opposing teams' goal. Turning to the angry Ashley, she jokingly winked at her and laughed.

* * *

Twenty minutes and a tie score later, Dahlia slightly limped to Mickie during a time out. The team was rotating positions if desired. Mickie looked on with concern, "Are you ok?" 

"Yea, Ashley slammed her crosse into my left shin and it's… kinda throbbing now." Dahlia grimaced from the pain.

"Well, you can keep playing or sit out last round." Mickie reasoned, allowing Dahlia to lean against her as another teammate took Mickie's goalie equipment and put it on.

"Nope, we're just gonna hit her in the knee with a big stick." Dahlia decided, setting her gaze on her blonde opponent.

"We? Umm, this is my actual class D. Meaning that if I intentionally hurt someone…again… I fail. You however, can pretend like you didn't know it was an illegal check. I'd rather not be associated with your lunacy." Mickie explained lowly, taking her position alongside Dahlia for the face-off.

The ball was launched in the air, both teams fought over the ball before it was scooped up by an unsuspecting Mickie as she ran. There were shouts from the other team announcing this before she actually realized her predicament before she ran even faster, searching desperately for any member of her team to try and pass it to. Dahlia watched on as Ashley turned to Mickie's position and began running to her, she pushed the pain to the back of her mind and began sprinting after her, dodging the other players around her.

Jeff continued watching the game, now fully detached from the whereabouts of the class around him. He noticed that not only was poor Mickie playing lacrosse, she was actually in possession of the ball. Knowing well of her lack of coordination, he could only pray that she didn't break another person's nose. Noting dully that Ashley was still playing and she hadn't cracked a nail yet, he smiled when he saw Dahlia chasing after the shorter blonde. Mickie screamed in fear as she looked behind her as she saw the opposing team closing in on her and she tried to speed up, but her legs were slowing down from fatigue.

Ashley closed in on Mickie, lips curling into a devious smile as she reached out with her crosse to try and trip the brunette. Just then she felt someone slam her in her right side forcefully, almost causing her to fall. It was Dahlia with a matching grin on her face as she tried to catch up with Mickie, who was less than 50 feet from the goal. The New York native ran alongside Ashley, dodging the swings dangerously close to her head. Making a quick glance to the teacher, who wasn't paying attention to the game at all, she swung the crosse downward, catching Ashley in the knees and causing her to flip over.

"We won! D, I finally….finally scored a goal!" the brunette squealed, picking the Latina and swinging her around.

Dahlia couldn't help but grin at her friend as she nodded her head in the blonde's direction. Mickie glared at the fallen girl clutching her knees in pain, "You were serious?-!"

"Hey, she hit me first." Dahlia reasoned as the two began walking off the field towards Jeff's car, as he took it upon himself to drop them off everyday.

"True enough."

Dahlia turned to Mickie with a half-concerned face, "Do you think he's a good guy?"

Mickie smiled and threw her arm over her friend's shoulder, "I think he's a great guy."


	6. Is this what you wanted?

_A/N: Hey guys!!! Here's chapter 6 of Sweet Ruptured Life and I must say it's my favorite chapter by far. Hope you enjoy. Oh, here's the deal. __**Bold italics**__ are flashbacks, __plain__ italics are song lyrics and _**bold print**_ is the poem. Hope it doesn't confuse anyone. I don't own the song "Title and Registration" by Death Cab for Cutie nor the poem, that's Lauren F's (thanks!)_

_Read and review!_

Dahlia dodged through the crowd of people in the hallway, keeping her eyes trained on the back of one Jeff Hardy. Ever since he had seen her dancing with Shannon in dance class the day before, he had been moody ever since.

There were only a few days left of school. Dahlia wasn't in the frame of mind for moodiness.

"Jeff!" But Jeff didn't respond, nor did he even turn an inch to even look at her. He just walked into their class and grabbed a seat across the room… far away from her. She shook her head and sat next to Driany, who cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked between the both of them.

"What's wrong with him?" Dahlia asked; making sure she turned the question into a statement. She knew that her friend knew something at least. Jeff couldn't keep his emotions to himself for his life.

But Driany just gave her a look that clearly told her to wait and turned her attention to the teacher. Dahlia did the same but she felt her mind slipping into the past events…

_**The day before…**_

"_**So, could we run this again?" Shannon asked, raking his hair away from his eyes and turning towards the Latina.**_

"_**Damn, perfectionist much?" Dahlia laughed, nodding to Shannon, who played the next song on one of the CD's he brought to practice with, "Would you please play something that doesn't make me wanna shoot up and die?"**_

_**Shannon chuckled and grabbed another CD. Once the new song started, they started moving together, unaware of Jeff standing in the doorway. Once the dance was over, Dahlia was practically nose to nose with him, her hands resting on his shoulders. **_

_**A loud bang broke them apart, the New York native shaking her head and looking over her shoulder in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair before the door slammed shut. Dahlia sighed and looked at Shannon, before running out the door in the direction that Jeff had gone. But by the time she got remotely close to him, he was getting in his car and beginning to drive away.**_

_**Later that night, after explaining to Mickie and Driany what had happened, she tried calling Jeff. Each time, she got his voicemail. After leaving him around 6 messages to call her back, she tried his house phone. But after hearing from his brother that he supposedly not home, she stopped trying. Jeff was stubborn, but hopefully he would feel differently in the morning.**_

But that morning had been no different. Dahlia, who always got a ride from Jeff to and from school, was preparing to take the bus when she heard a honking outside. It was Jeff. Thinking that everything was fine, she got in the car and tried to have a conversation with him. But all she got in return were pointed glares and silence.

"He thinks that you like Shannon," Driany said, breaking into the Latina's thoughts, "He saw you two getting all close yesterday and thought something was going on."

"I can assure you, I don't like Shannon. And even if I did, he likes Mickie anyway." Dahlia reasoned loudly, rolling her eyes when she saw Jeff turn his head in her direction, obviously listening. Just then, the last bell rang in her ears, Jeff standing, finally looking in her direction and giving her a sheepish smile. No words needed to be said as the two hugged, before walking to their locker.

This time around, the car ride was almost normal, only the New York native could tell that Jeff was nervous about something. She tried hinting towards it; trying to get him to open up, but he would just laugh it off and ignore her hint. As he pulled up in front of her house, he tugged at the collar of this t-shirt and turned to her, eyes not exactly meeting hers. He reached into his back pocket and took up a sheet of folded up paper.

"I wanted to give this to you yesterday, but… you know…" Jeff drifted off, his voice getting lower by the minute, "Anyway, I guess I'll see you tomorrow…" he trailed off completely, pushing the paper into her hands. Dahlia nodded silently, kissing him on the cheek and taking note how his cheeks flushed from the action. Unlocking the door and grabbing her bag from the back, she waved to him before turning to walk up the steps to her house.

Thunder rumbled overhead as Jeff sat in his car across the street from Dahlia's house, trying to force some sort of courage to call her.

_As the rain beat down on the hood  
and that's how this idea was drilled into my head  
'Cause it's too important  
to stay the way it's been_

Dahlia sat cross-legged on her couch, fiddling with the paper that Jeff gave her. She hadn't read it yet but she couldn't help but think how cute he looked when he gave it to her. And the way he blushed… she shook the thoughts from her head as she opened the letter. It was a poem of his, clearly re-written multiple times, as it was really neat and clean, no mistakes could be seen.

**Dahlia:**

**T****o show how much I care  
and how you're always, always on my mind  
but I don't think you notice babe  
how much u mean to me  
but I know deep down inside  
You are bound to see**

See I want to be more than friends  
but I just don't know what to say  
and we could be together  
or I'll hide it forever  
but I'll be loving you either way

I've been feeling it deep inside  
and it gets stronger everyday  
whether you don't have a clue  
or I'm together with you  
I'll be loving you either way

I never thought I'd feel a love so true

**Or that ****I'd act in such a crazy way  
I've got this wonderful feeling  
'cause my heart you are stealing  
and this feeling is here to stay **

Dahlia sat in shock, barely registering the sound of her cell phone ringing. It was him. She smiled at the thought of him before picking up, "Hey Jeff," she said softly, not wanting to seem too eager or excited.

"Hey, can you come outside? I wanna talk to you." Jeff said, his southern lilt faltering a little in his nervousness.

"Sure, give me a sec." Dahlia hung up the phone and hopped over the back of the couch in glee. Grabbing her umbrella and her keys, she stuffed her phone in her pocket and ran down the stairs.

Jeff watched her walk down the stairs, looking around for any sign of him. He smiled before stepping out of his car, letting the rain hit him. Dahlia looked at Jeff, who reached for her umbrella and pulling it from her hands and folded it closed before placing it on the back of his car. It didn't take long for her to get soaked to the bone but she didn't care after her grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, both of them ignoring the flashes of lightning around them.

They just couldn't get their eyes off each other.

Dahlia opened her mouth to ask Jeff what he wanted to talk about and why they were out here, but all he did was gently place a finger to her lips, silencing her. He rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip and leaned in softly. His voice was soft, and sure as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Just because you're looking really beautiful standing out here in the rain, and I'm thinking, I have to kiss you"

Dahlia inhaled softly and slowly. His lips touched hers lightly as he closed the final distance between them, running one hand behind the nape of her neck before tangling in her hair. Dahlia leaned into the kiss, feeling everything disappear around her, just relishing in the feel of his lips on hers. Every so often, a flash of lightning would appear, washing the two in a temporary light like fireworks. Jeff tilted his head, deepening the kiss as he pressed her against his car and running his tongue over her bottom lip. She allowed him entrance as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

They broke apart finally, Jeff brushing his knuckles across her cheek and traced her lips with his fingertips, as if memorizing her face. Dahlia leaned into his touch and brushed her lips over his, tugging at his lower lip, hearing him moan lightly from her touch. No words had to be said, they were aware of the new step in their relationship.

They finally had each other.


End file.
